Hardly Strictly How-To: Apps, Maps, Transpo Tips & Webcast

“The wait is over, HSBers!” announced an enthused Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival staff in their late-night October 3rd newsletter.

Those HSBers–or Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival goers–are the longtime fans that fill the heart of Golden Gate Park annually, which this year is October 4-6. And fortunately, if you don’t follow the hype, one of those so-called HSBers could still include you–or anyone with passion enough to just show up–since the fest totally free.

But a lack of price has no bearing on the quality of this lineup.

Boasting 4-6 stages of can’t-miss bluegrass (and yes, beyond the genre), the acts listed for the three-day weekend are well-known and renowned.

Ogle the unbelievably pro-bono set list below:

If that list overwhelms you about how to get around, or who to finally check off your jam-band bucket list, the newsletter linked navigation tools to help attendees prepare for the high dose of Autumn-hued music.

You can plan your show-course with the redesigned smartphone app, which Apple and Android users can grab.

And though the fest has no easy parking lot, you can safely leave your car at home.

“Parking is extremely limited,” the HSB staff writers admit, “but this year we’ve got you covered. Not only are there plenty of public transportation options via MUNI, but we’ve also partnered with Lyft and Uber to offer discounted fares for first-time users going to HSB13.”

Once you’re off the Muni or have tipped your Lyft driver, you can rummage through your camera, canned beer, and blankets (which the fest allows in) in your backpack to find the preprinted map and schedule the HSB folks have provided.

From there, before you enjoy your Low or Bonnie Rait set, navigate your way to the one of their available lockers, where you can store that heavy stuff.

Or, if you’re still sore from lugging around all that swag at last year’s fest–30 is not the new cool–the awesome HSB folks feel your literal pain (or anti-social mood, blues-fan you are) with a live-streaming webcast.

Otherwise, “the weather is going to be beautiful,” the staff (and the trusty Weather Channel promises, “so come on down and enjoy the music!”